The Drop Tower in front of them towered into the clouds. As they tilted their heads back to look up, they could barely make out the top. The ring of lights flashing at the highest point looked like stars hanging in the night sky.
Chi Yi’s neck was getting sore from looking up. “It looks over 200 meters tall,” she estimated.
She then asked her companions, “Have any of you ever ridden a Drop Tower at an amusement park? I’ve always been too scared.”
You Jingmeng and Owen Dong both shook their heads in fear. “Never!”
Qi Yongyi said, “I rode one once, and the falling sensation was terrifying.”
All of them turned to Li Zhi. She scratched her cheek with her fingertip and said, “I ride it every time I go to an amusement park. My younger sister loves this kind of ride.”
You Jingmeng gave her a thumbs-up in admiration. “Your sister’s a tough one!”
It seemed like the younger you were, the more you enjoyed these thrilling high-altitude rides, and the braver you were to try them. Li Shuang never got enough of it after one go. She would have Li Feng wait in line again while she dragged her sister along for a second and third ride.
So now, Li Zhi felt nothing about these high-altitude rides. She had done them so many times growing up that it felt like muscle memory at this point.
But the Drop Tower in the Ghost Amusement Park was clearly different from the ones outside. As they walked to the entrance, a staff member in a blue uniform smiled at them. “Welcome to the Skyfall Experience Drop Tower. This attraction requires a minimum of three participants. Please show your tickets and line up to enter.”
Needing only three people made it seem less dangerous, so it should be easier than a roller coaster.
Everyone sighed in relief.
Qi Yongyi volunteered, “I’ll sit this one out. You guys go ahead.”
He had already gone on several rides in a row, and his popularity should be enough by now. It was time to give his teammates a chance.
Chi Yi was eager. “I’m in!”
You Jingmeng looked at Owen Dong with a modest expression. “I stole your chance last round. I won’t compete with you this time. Go ahead.”
Owen Dong: “…”
Thanks, I guess!!
He was the one who was the most afraid of high-altitude rides! Owen Dong didn’t know whether it was the thrill or the fear of losing popularity after sitting out two rounds, but he gritted his teeth and rolled up his sleeves. “Fine, I’ll go!”
“What do you think the death rule of this Drop Tower will be?” Chi Yi mused. “It’s kind of similar to a roller coaster. Maybe the rule will be something like ‘no closing your eyes or screaming.'”
Li Zhi walked ahead, handing her ticket to the staff member. Another Drop Tower stamp was added to the empty slot.
A typical Drop Tower has 12 or 16 seats, but this one only had three. The seats were spaced about an arm’s length apart. Owen Dong’s legs were already going weak before he even sat down.
The three of them looked around. There were no signs or clues in the area, so the hints would probably be announced through the speakers.
Owen Dong swallowed nervously and whispered to Li Zhi, “Can you sit in the middle?”
That way, if anything dangerous happened, their strong leader would be in the center, able to watch over both of them.
Li Zhi smiled. “Sure.”
She was the first to sit down in the middle seat. Chi Yi sat on her left, and Owen Dong sat on her right. As soon as they sat down, there was a hiss of air, and the safety bars automatically locked into place.
Chi Yi felt her palms sweating. It was her first time riding a Drop Tower, and she couldn’t help but reach out to Li Zhi. “Zhi Zhi, can I hold your hand?”
Li Zhi reached out and held her cold fingertips, giving them a reassuring squeeze.
The comments on the livestream erupted:
【Chi Yi is so smooth!! I’m switching my ship!】
【How can you switch?? Clearly, Li Zhi dotes on her more!】
【Li Jianxi is probably crying inside that plush suit. He hasn’t even held his wife’s hand yet!】
【Li Jianxi: Was the balloon I gave meaningless?】
【Mengmeng, stop playing with that balloon! Yes, you, You Jingmeng! If you break it, Little Li will be upset!】
【It’s a full-on butterfly (Li Zhi x Chi Yi) moment! All other ships, please stand down!】
【I’m dying of laughter, look at Owen Dong! He looks like he wants to hold Li Zhi’s hand too!】
…
Thunk—
The suspended seats gave a small jolt as the Drop Tower began to ascend steadily. The speed wasn’t too fast, but as the ground below grew farther and farther away, Owen Dong couldn’t help but shout in panic, “Where’s the hint? Why aren’t there any hints?!”
There was no announcement, no signs, no visual cues.
Nothing.
The Drop Tower continued to rise, the wind howling past their ears. This ninety-degree vertical ascent felt even more dangerous than a roller coaster. Li Zhi scanned the entire area within her field of vision, but aside from the cross that became visible as soon as they ascended, there were no other clues.
Chi Yi shouted, “Why aren’t there any hints, Zhi Zhi? We’re almost at the top! What do we do?”
Li Zhi raised her voice so both of them could hear her. “Focus! Don’t panic! Hold onto the safety bar tightly!”
The lack of hints meant that the clue would likely reveal itself in the next stage of the ride.
What would happen next? They would reach the top and then plummet.
Would something dangerous happen during the fall?
Li Zhi furrowed her brows, deep in thought, as the Drop Tower quickly reached the summit. They all heard a click. After a brief second of pause, the ride suddenly plunged downward, the speed so fast it seemed to tear through the air, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound.
The feeling of complete weightlessness hit them, like the sensation from those dreams where you fall from a cliff in the middle of the night. Her heart felt as if it had surged up to her throat, ready to leap out.
For a fleeting second, Li Zhi was lost in a daze.
In that instant, it felt as if she were truly falling from a tall building. She even saw the balconies of the different floors as she plummeted.
Some had flowers growing on them, others had floral quilts hanging out to dry. There was even someone standing on one of the balconies, looking shocked as they saw her falling.
It was all too real. She could clearly make out what clothes that person was wearing.
But it was just for a second. Li Zhi snapped back to reality almost immediately.
When she opened her eyes, she was still on the Drop Tower, halfway through the fall.
In that moment, Li Zhi instantly understood the death rule for this round.
It was an illusion!
The Drop Tower pulled the players into a vivid falling illusion. If a player became trapped in that illusion and couldn’t break free, they would die for real when they hit the ground!
“Chi Yi! Owen Dong! Wake up!”
Li Zhi shouted loudly and first looked toward Chi Yi. From her angle, she could only see Chi Yi’s tightly shut eyes and her struggling expression. Li Zhi reached out, barely able to touch her shoulder. She leaned further over, grabbing onto Chi Yi’s clothing and giving it two forceful tugs with all her might.
Chi Yi’s collar was yanked askew, causing her neck to ache. She had already been desperately trying to break free from the illusion, and with Li Zhi’s strong pulls, she managed to snap out of it.
Li Zhi didn’t have time to ask if she was okay. Seeing that Chi Yi was regaining consciousness, she immediately turned her attention to Owen Dong.
At this point, they were dangerously close to the ground. Owen Dong’s mental strength was even weaker than Chi Yi’s, and he had been screaming in the illusion the whole time. Despite Li Zhi shaking him several times, she still couldn’t wake him up. She could now see the ground staff below, and in no more than five seconds, the Drop Tower would crash to the ground.
In the nick of time, Owen Dong’s unconscious body slumped to the left, his head resting on his shoulder.
Li Zhi’s upper body was nearly out of the safety bar. Holding onto the bar with one hand, she swung her other hand heavily across Owen Dong’s face.
Smack! Smack!
The last two slaps finally jolted Owen Dong awake. The moment his eyes snapped open, the Drop Tower landed with a loud clang at the lowest point, coming to a sudden stop.
“AAAAAAHHH!” Owen Dong let out an ear-piercing scream, his voice full of panic. “I almost died!”
Chi Yi, who had woken up earlier, was drenched in cold sweat, her voice trembling. “It was an illusion! This round’s death rule is an illusion! This is ridiculous!”
There had been no hint at all, and during the fall, the players were suddenly pulled into a hyper-realistic illusion. For players with weaker mental strength, breaking free was almost impossible.
But for someone like Li Zhi, whose mental strength was absurdly strong, this death rule was nothing more than an empty threat.
The safety bar in front of them automatically unlocked, and Owen Dong stumbled forward a couple of steps, his legs so weak he could barely stand. The illusion had been terrifyingly real. He had plummeted from the roof of a skyscraper, his body tumbling in midair. He could see each layer of the building flashing by, neon streetlights flickering below, and the road packed with cars growing closer and closer.
That had been the clue all along.
They were on a Drop Tower in an amusement park, so there was no way they should have seen a residential building or a busy street below. Everything they had seen was an illusion. As long as the players realized this, they could break free.
But the mental strength required for this was enormous. Under the stress of rapid freefall, when one was already panicking, who could calmly distinguish between reality and illusion?
“You can’t go on for the second round,” Li Zhi said firmly. “Qi Yongyi should take your place.”
Owen Dong couldn’t even speak. He just nodded repeatedly, his face as white as a sheet.
After all, Qi Yongyi had been trained by the official team, and among the group—aside from Li Zhi—he was probably the only one with enough mental fortitude to handle this.
Li Zhi then turned to Chi Yi. “Will you be okay for the second round?”
Chi Yi bit her lip and replied resolutely, “I’ll be fine! Now that I know it’s an illusion, I won’t be caught off guard.”
Whether she was fine or not, she had to be. You Jingmeng’s mental strength was probably even weaker than Chi Yi’s.
Li Zhi thought for a moment, then took out the sunflower pendant from her pocket and handed it to Chi Yi. “Keep this with you.”
Chi Yi recognized it immediately. “Isn’t this the token of affection Li Jianxi gave you?”
People on the forum had been teasing her about it for so long that everyone now referred to this jade pendant as a love token.
Chi Yi hesitated. “Are you sure this is okay?”
If Li Jianxi found out, wouldn’t he hunt her down?
Li Zhi took Chi Yi’s hand, placing the sunflower pendant in her palm. “If it helps you, he’ll be happy about it too.”
Chi Yi chuckled, tucking the jade pendant away, her tone dripping with mock jealousy. “You sure seem to know him well now, huh?”
Li Zhi laughed along. “Yeah, I guess.”
If it could help a fellow player, Li Jianxi would surely be glad. No matter the scenario, he was always a friendly NPC.
A staff member approached them. “Congratulations on completing the first round of the Skyfall Challenge. Here is your reward.”
Li Zhi accepted the clue box, and the three of them walked over to the railing of the passageway. Qi Yongyi and You Jingmeng were standing there, eagerly waiting. What surprised them, though, was the presence of four more people standing under the trees a little farther back, behind the railing.
It was Pei Hongyu and his team.
From a distance, Li Zhi exchanged a glance with Pei Hongyu. She couldn’t make out the exact expression in his eyes, but she sensed a hint of displeasure. However, standing next to him, Tang Nanshan gave Li Zhi a polite nod and a friendly smile.
As they got closer, You Jingmeng gave Li Zhi a mischievous wink, her voice barely containing her excitement. “Zhi, they want to collaborate with you.”